Well, it's fair to say we're pretty excited about these custom sticks: quite simply, they're the best sticks we've ever seen, by a long way.

Weighing in at a serious 7kg, they're nearly three times the weight of the HRAP sticks and probably about as close as we want to get to the comfort limit for anyone who wants to play with the sticks resting on their legs or knees. The reason for the weight is simple: more weight = less movement = greater control. Plus of course, the materials we've used to create this weightiness allow a much higher quality of product.

The sticks are constructed from solid Maple with a plexiglass top housing custom artwork. The first batch of sticks has artwork from Cave big-hitters Mushihimesama Futari Ver 1.5, Espgaluda II, Ketsui and Death Smiles II plus Super Street Fighter IV.

The sticks are Seimitsu LS-32 and buttons on top are Seimitsu PS-14-KN. Buttons on back are Sanwa OBSF-24. For custom orders we can use basically any type of stick and button, for example OBSF-30 (Sanwa) buttons and also JLF-TP-8YT (Sanwa) which are popular choices, although we prefer the Seimitsu components we have used.

For reliability and virtually zero lag, all sticks will have a 3m/10ft cable (any longer and lag becomes noticeable) this seems to be the choice for players on the pro circuit. We can of course make cables of different lengths for custom orders but please bear in mind the lag issue for longer cable.

For the underside, we have decided on a nice leatherette material which is good for keeping the sticks in place if they're sitting on your legs. Alternatively, for custom orders we can use plexiglass laid over artwork of your choice.

So, we've used absolutely top components and materials. No skimping, no cost-cutting anywhere: we've simply tried to make the best product we can. The fit and finish is, I'm sure you'll agree, simply wonderful. After all this, it would be a shame for these sticks to just work on one system, so we've made them multi-format: Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Mac. We are hoping to add further formats later in the year, and can upgrade existing sticks as this becomes available. Our ultimate aim is for a single stick - the best stick you can buy - to cover all the main formats, so you only need one stick.

We are accepting preorders for sticks of your own design. Any artwork as long as we can make it work at a high quality level, basically. If you have something you love, send it over to us and we'll get it done. We can suggest colours for buttons and ball tops etc. etc. or you can tell us what you want. Alternatively, you can tell us the name of the subject (it doesn't even have to be a game: one of our regulars is having Hitchcock's Veritgo as a theme with a dark cherry finish.. sounds strange? Wait until you see the pictures!) and we can try to find artwork for you. We can use bespoke woods: beech, oak, etc., although maple seems to go well with most things. From placing your custom order, delivery time is 4-5 weeks.